Civil Engineer Squadron renovates Altus AFB Fire Station, saves AF money

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Dillon Davis
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --   Members of the 97th Civil Engineer Squadron completed a renovation project at the Altus AFB Fire Station Jan. 20 to comply with mission safety requirements and improve mission efficiency.

"There was an open mezzanine where the firefighters would store their equipment in lockers, and it was collecting all the fumes from the trucks on their equipment," said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Chad Chapman, 97th structural journeyman. "So we enclosed the structure to meet their safety requirements."

The structures shop finished the project and had the mezzanine ready for use within three weeks.

"We did all of the drywall, walls, base trim, ceiling tiles and everything except the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and electrical," said Chapman.
In the past, the Air Force has hired contractors to complete similar jobs. However, to fully embrace a fiscally constrained budget, the 97th CES took on this project and helped save the Air Force and taxpayers' money.

"We were able to save money and time by doing the job ourselves," said Senior Airman Larry Finch, who is also structural journeyman. "It was a simple project for us but it had a big impact on the mission."

Altus AFB saved an estimated $92,000 by utilizing the 97th workforce instead of hiring a contractor to make the renovations.

The new enclosed mezzanine protects the firefighters' gear from all of the ambient bi-products from the fire engines and greatly improves the safety of the fire team.

"The improvements that have been made increase safety and morale," said Perry Cook, Altus AFB assistant fire chief. "The changes were necessary to meet compliance requirements for storing personal protection equipment. Also, they will improve mission effectiveness because it will reduce the amount of time and cost spent cleaning the firefighters' personal protective equipment."

Aside from the benefits from safety and cost savings, Cook thanked 97th CES for their quality and quick completion.

"I was truly impressed with the 97th CES' craftsmanship, attention to detail and the fast completion time," said Cook.